A magnetic garment would not work since this part of the bus is aluminum. But really... how offensive can this be? I'm more concerned that her proportions are a bit off, and her abs a bit over-emphasized (but I'm not complaining about Kurt's work!).

Somehow I knew you were going to say that it was a non-magnetic surface! Magnetic garments couldve been a fun addition though!From that picture angle I don't see anything thats offensiveat all. I was just playing off your "decency laws" comment. The mural is very cool.

So the theme this year is like a giant camp out in the desert? With people bringing lots of shit from all over? uh.. -Marscrumbs

Depending on whats on the inside of the bus in that area. How about gluing magnets to the inside so you could attach the magnet to the outside?

The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.

Makes me wish I had about 15 grand. Buy that put a diesel drive train under it. Make the top into a sleeping area and put a kitchen or something and seating in the bottom.

The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.

Be advised, these buses have a weird drivetrain with the engine turning backward from the normal industry standard. This is because the rear axle is a very odd arrangement with the differential on one side, so the floor can be low. So re-powering one of these could be a bit of a headache. I believe the old Detroit two-strokes could be configured to run backwards, but I'm not sure. I suppose any engine could be so configured, it's only a matter of cost -- custom ground camshaft, custom oil pump etc.

(Regular four-stroke diesels can start backwards by accident -- it happened to me once. It sounded quite different, and of course there was no oil pressure.)

Good to know. I didn't think it would be easy, but its a little more complicated with it running backwards. I've heard the engines in these are tanks, but driving cross country with a engine made in 1950 doesn't seem like the smartest of ideas. So a swap is the first thought. But in the real world I don't even have the 7 grand to buy it and really don't have the 15 grand to afford buying and customizing it.

The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.

this thread should never disappear, although it does lead me to the desire to convert a bus. nothing fancy (at first) just seating, bed area and a (non-plumbed) kitchen. raising the roof would be nice as well but not right away. oh and flooring on the roof so it can be used for sightseeing/chilling in hammocks.

well one day.

FREE THE SHERPASBurners with torches is right and natural and just.-fishy.CATCH AND RELEASE.

yup thats this years plan. extended cargo van extra seat in the back (it its a 2 seater) I have plans but my CDO (thats OCD but with the letters in the right order) partner in crime will have her own plans (which i will of course eventually agree too).

i have looked at cargo vans via google any wanrings on ones not to buy - fiat and citroen have bad reputations over here

FREE THE SHERPASBurners with torches is right and natural and just.-fishy.CATCH AND RELEASE.

my plan is for a futon type bed - folded against the wall as a seat - with another opposite, both on drawers, unfold both for one comfy bed or take them outside for comfy seats, or sit inside when weather prevents that choice

ideally the roof rack would be the type with a central walkway to make things easier, that way it can be designed to have two self contained hammocks either side and ,as you say, still room for the bells and whistles inside, the bulkhead i am not sure about. Its good for a work van but not so much for a conversion although it would help with dust control on the playa

FREE THE SHERPASBurners with torches is right and natural and just.-fishy.CATCH AND RELEASE.

FIGJAM wrote:I like the idea of the bulkhead because it can be sealed enough so that you would only be heating or cooling the drivers compartment while on the road.

I looked at doing this after the first year, but couldn't justify a vehicle for use once a year.

AH! this is where it works well for me, once i get over there the beds etc can come out and it becomes a work van, so i guess the bulkhead does make sense......

the nice thing aboyt glazing is.... not many tools needed though the handyman bit does mean..... PACK ALL THE TOOLS! although i have a plan to box off the side door for tool storage - that way when its being used for camping the tools are out of the way (see what my cdo in crime thinks about that)

FREE THE SHERPASBurners with torches is right and natural and just.-fishy.CATCH AND RELEASE.

FIGJAM wrote:Acording to craig's list, chevy seems to be a good choice.

Lots of fords on there which tells me people are getting rid of them for a reason.

A lot of interpretations of that, including that older chevies fail faster - my experience.

Class C motorhomes or commercial vans are another easy option.The big vans are popular at the burn.

My ford van is an older 351W with C6 and 9" rear end.It will run long after the newer ones are all gone.

if you're inclined, people are starting to do diesel conversions of ford rangers.For a work truck, a ranger would probably be your best fit here, 4 cyl - 5 speed.

On fiat, I have no experience with the european vans, but extensive experience with the imported models.Typically, if maintaned well, you can just beat hell out of them and keep going.I had one I kept at 10,000 rpm for years.If someone says they drove it real easy, run like hell.Short shifting will kill them.

This is not an area I know much about. But a popular paint for low-budget school bus conversions is Ace Hardware Rust Stop. This is an oil-based paint, essentially generic Rustoleum. It can be sprayed(with suitable thinning), but I'm brushing it on since I don't mind the el-cheapo look.

It is common to see paint peeling off in large flakes on home-made bus paint jobs. I cannot tell what paint was used, of course, but I can safely guess that surface preparation was inadequate. You want to sand it very well, then wipe with paint thinner. Bare steel should be primered. Bare galvanizing and aluminum require a special primer.

On roofs it is common to add some sort of insulating particles to the paint. I've bought a couple of pounds of the stuff, but have not applied it yet. It is tiny glass or ceramic "balls", small enough to go thru a spray gun, yet with insulating and heat-reflecting qualities. From what I've read, it does help. I'd give you the name, except the stuff is buried under a ton of boxes.

For sealant, 50 Year Silicone is probably pretty good. I have heard of professional sealants that are better, but don't know what they are.

what kind of paint are they painting the top of school buses with? And where can I get it?

Also need to seal some leaks in my roof. Was thinking about silicone sealer for the job. Do you recommend something better maybe?

We used white boat hull paint for the top of our bus. It went on thick, evened out really good & sealed up every nook & cranny. If I remember correctly it was not horribly expensive. We chose white to reflect the sun from most of the living area.

From the windows down we used chalkboard paint & that was a lot of fun. People would stop by & draw on it or leave messages for friends. We took pictures of the art every day. If you want details I can find out exactly what we used on the roof. It's been working great (no leaks).

In your wildest dreams you can not imagine the marvelous SURPRISES that await YOU.